Gaming machines which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. These gaming machines generally require the player to place or make a wager and use at least one of the input devices to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming machines, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and based on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming machines. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Secondary or bonus games are generally activated or triggered upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may trigger the secondary bonus game. When a secondary or bonus game is triggered, the gaming machines generally indicates this to the player through one or more visual and/or audio output devices, such as the reels, lights, speakers or video screens. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming machines is the occurrence of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Certain known gaming machines display the primary game on a primary display device and any bonus or secondary games on a secondary display device. Typically, in such known gaming machines, the primary display device is traditionally positioned proximate the player while the player is sitting at the gaming machine. That is, the primary display device is generally positioned substantially at a seated player's eye level, while the secondary display device is traditionally positioned above the primary display device and above the player's eye level. Because the secondary display device is traditionally positioned above the player's eye level, any secondary or bonus games which utilizes both the primary display device and the secondary display device requires the player to frequently look up at the secondary display and back down to the primary display. For example, for a secondary game (displayed on a secondary display device) which utilizes one or more symbols generated on the reels (displayed on a primary display device), a player must frequently look up at the secondary display device to view the status of the secondary game and then back down to the primary display device to view the results of the symbols generated on the reels. Such frequent head movements can cause player's discomfort and otherwise reduce the player's level of excitement and entertainment in playing such gaming machines.
Accordingly, there is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems which efficiently display information to players regarding primary games displayed on primary display devices and secondary games displayed on secondary display devices. In other words, there is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming machines and gaming systems which reduce a player's discomfort (at frequently looking at multiple display devices) and increases the player's level of excitement and entertainment in playing gaming machines which utilize multiple display devices.